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IT’s all very well taking technically perect portraitso birds doing nothing much at all. The real challenge is totake great pictures o birds doing what they do best – ying.

But capturing that brie moment when the wings arein an aesthetically pleasing position is just the beginning.Overcoming camera shake while you track the bird,and making the image pin-sharp by reezing its rapidlyapping wings, merely add to the challenge. The light,too, needs to be just right to avoid unwanted silhouettesand shadows. So, perhaps not surprisingly, the ‘hit rate’ inphotographing birds in ight is low compared with manyother orms o wildlie photography.

But the good news is that birds generally use quitepredictable roosting, eeding and nesting sites and it’s oten

Just as you’re mastering the art o taking well-composed images owildlie, we’re presenting you with an even greater challenge:capturing moving targets. But i you ollow our experts’ advice oneldcrat, good technique and equipment, you may surprise yoursel.

With Wildlie photographer Mark CarWardine

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BBC Wildlie 63September 2006

possible to get close to them. You can also keep shootinguntil well ater the sun has set: take pin-sharp pictures i thelight is good, but as it gets darker and you’re orced to useslower shutter speeds, try more imaginative, artistic shotswith blurry wings to give a eeling o movement.

Perhaps most importantly, there are many potentialsubjects in the UK – everywhere rom the Somerset Levels(wheeling and turning starlings coming in to roost) toBass Rock (breeding gannets), and rom searonts (eedinggulls) to town lakes (landing ducks and swans) up anddown the country. It’s just a matter o getting out there,experimenting and practising. It’ll certainly be worthit – well-executed ight shots make some o the mostexciting wildlie photographs.



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Pick up t bird (here an osprey) in your viewnder as early aspossible – don’t wait until you are ready to take the shot. Thisallows your autoocus to lock on and gives you a moment to thinkabout composition beore shooting.

Practis fdig a fying bird through your lens – it’s an essentialskill and the quicker you can do it, the better.

Mak sur t autcus is set to ‘continuous’ (and keep pressingthe shutter button halway) to ensure that it maintains sharp ocuson the bird as it moves towards or away rom the camera.

Start stig i you think a good picture is about to unold. I youstop to think, even or a second, you could miss the shot. Don’tworry i you do miss – just keep trying.

Impr yur cacs by trying to anticipate the action. Byreading wind conditions and behaviour, or example, it is otenpossible to predict when a bird is likely to take fight and where itis likely to fy.

Kp stig. The more images you take, the more chance youhave o getting a good one.

4 worK aT GeTTING close

Sk ut pacs where birds are used to people, so you can getclose without disturbing them. Try everywhere rom rubbish tipsand coastal resorts, with their riendly gulls, to seabird colonies.

Fid atur rsrs with hides overlooking eeding or breedinggrounds, where you can remain unseen or as long as you like.

M swyand stay low (‘low’ might mean on your stomach, notmerely on your knees) to approach subjects without scaring them.

M it psitias you draw near, so that your fight shots areagainst a clean, uncluttered background.

3 THINK aBouT composITIoN

Put t bird on the let side o the rame i it is fying rom let toright (and vice versa). This gives it room to fy into the picture andmakes a more comortable composition.

Igr t ru tirds (see March) and put the bird close to thecentre o the rame i it is fying straight towards you.

Tak car when photographing small focks o fying birds.Try to avoid shots where one bird blocks another (waituntil it is clear) and avoid cutting o parts o birds at theedges o the rame.

Mark Carwardine shows you how to apply the theory to get the perect picture.

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very issue, our world amous photographers share their knowledge and skills.

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anuel Presti is an engineer by proession

nd juggles a ull-time job with award-inning nature photography. This summer,e has been setting his alarm or 3.50am tohotograph bee-eaters and hoopoes beoreork. “It’s not a problem,” he jokes, “becausee have espresso in Italy to keep us awake.”anuel shoots until the light is too harsh orking pictures and then heads to the ofce.“I like to pick a subject and work it well,”

e explains. “That’s what I did with thearlings, which I photographed everyvening ater work in the centre o Rome. Ias actually standing on the pavement,atching the swirling ocks expand andntract, looking or interesting patterns ine sky. It was an unusual scenario orildlie photography, because most eveningswas surrounded by curious people. Many o em were taking pictures, too – with their

mobile phones.”Manuel believes

that amiliarsubjects hold thekey to many greatpictures. Hetravels ar andwide or hisphotography – two

o his avouriteplaces or birds inight are Floridaand Bosque del

pache in New Mexico – but he adoresorking close to home.He oten plans his images in advance and

as a list o dream shots. “I was lying in aoppyfeld the other day, photographing therilliant red owers against a dark blue sky,hen swits started ying overhead. I thoughtwould make a wonderul shot and nowave this perect picture in my mind’s eye.ll be a challenge, but not impossible.esides, it’s good to push the boundaries.”

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Flocks o birds are best photographedagainst plain backgrounds, otherwise theyjust blend into the clutter. Early or late inthe day, watch or the directions the birdsy in as they move rom lakes and pondsto eed or roost.Approach themcareully, use atripod, be patientand don’t be

tempted to scarethe ocks intothe air.

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Fksbid niThough September is late in the season, manyseabird colonies will still be active. Terns, inparticular, will hover above you, oering photoopportunities. Decide i you want a sharp orblurred image, get low and shoot up againsta bright, clearsky. Select a astshutter speed orpin-sharp detail,perhaps even

using ash, orillustrate motionby going slow.

ubn bidGet close to birds in parks, ports and seasideresorts – places where birds are used tohumans, oten repeatedly perorming thesame behaviour. Don’t just fll the rame withthe subject, but leave space in the image orthe bird to y andbe in its element.

Handholdingthe camera inlow evening lightmay bring outsomething otherthan the obvious.

wtbidPlan your intended images, but take advantageo lucky occurrences and lighting eects aroundyou. Don’t always use automatic settings, so youcan react quickly when something does happen.Try lying down near water level where a slowshutter speedand panning

with a yingbird’s movementcan create greatreections and animpressionisticeect.

taMron Sp a 200-500mm 5-6.3 d ld

A versatile mid to long range telephotolens providing clear images with vivid

colour rendition.This lens is ideal or

wildlie photography.

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RULES 1) The competition is open only to amateurphotographers. 2) Up to two entries only per category. 3) Entryo a picture constitutes a grant to BBC Worldwide to publish itin all media. 4) Entries will be judged by BBC Wildlife. 5) Thewinning image will be published in the October issue. 6) Nocorrespondence will be entered into and winners will not benotied. 7) Entries will not be accepted by post or email.

September 200666 BBC Wildlie

esseNTIal KIT...1.4x TelecoNverTer

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